In Times of Chaos
by PaxRomaDacia
Summary: Darkness shrouds the fate of the Old World, great evil rises from the depths, and monstrosities roam the lands of frail peace. In the background of war, a great adventure begins with a Witch Hunter and a Princess reuniting once more, bringing along strange characters from all over the world to join them in a quest of blood, madness and the thrill of adventure. (Warhammer AU)
1. Chapter 1

Authors note: So I have quite an interesting story to make, a Star vs. The Forces of Evil Warhammer Fantasy AU… what a mouthful to read. But yeah, this is an alternate universe involving SVTFOE characters implemented in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, so expect it to be very bloody, gory, and all around M rated.

I hope I get stuff from Warhammer Fantasy right since while I am a fan of Warhammer in general, I don't know as much about Fantasy as I do 40K, so don't get too pissed off if I miss something or add in a few 'personal' head cannons here and there. I only know about so much Warhammer thought the video games and some lore read ups here and there.

BTW: Important Update, I want to credit MaxGentlman1 for helping out with the intro a lot, as in he pretty much wrote most of it. He will be my co-author through the whole story so I want to thank him so much for helping me out, and check out his stories as well.

But anyways, for people who know or don't know Warhammer, I hope you enjoy the intro.

 **Prologue: In Times of Chaos**

 **O-O-O**

The Old World is changing.

That is a fact that many refuse to accept within the Empire of Man. Change is a cruel mistress of fear and uncertainty, something with unknown power that few will truly understand. Such change may be the work of the Ruinous Powers at work in the Old World, weaving fates and plotting plans in such madness.

Darkness was rising from the North, the icy wastes teeming with new life not from this world: beings far worse than anything a mortal could comprehend. Norsemen were the only true threat of the North due to raiding, but their raids grow in size and frequency overtime, new powers from beyond inspire bloodshed further down through the neighboring kingdom of Kislev.

The influence of this new darkness has slowly crept down from the North for centuries, bringing about new beings of evil and malice to the Empire of Man: a lasting bastion of humanity surrounded by smaller independent kingdoms. Humans inhabit the Centre of the Old World and have since expanded their borders in the name of their Gods and Kings, but with great power comes great strife.

Whether it may be Ruinous Powers of the North corrupting Man or the greed and power hunger inside Man all along, the Empire currently suffers from constant civil disruption and war between the ten provincial states. The Empire may be a powerful nation, but the truth of its unity is that of a confederation, only together because of their common tongue of Reikspiel, shared belief of Imperial culture and the faith of their man turned God, Sigmar Heldenhammer. The man who created their Empire.

But since the election of their new Emperor, Karl Franz; Elector Count of Reikland, the other Counts throw out accusations of false claims to the throne at Franz, while others prepare weapons of war to overthrow their supposed new leader. Franz was a young and vigorous man, but through an understanding of leverage against his political opponents, he proved himself worthy of rising to the throne of Emperor and dedicated his time to helping the Empire and fixing its mistakes more than previous Emperors before his time; only comparable to Sigmar himself.

Despite this, the Empire still had a long way to go.

Civil war looms in the air as Man begins to prepare for themselves rather than the rising threat of the North, new beasts of savagery invade the wilds of the lands, rumors spread of secret cults that worship great evil, even the fairy tales of legendary Rat men have started to rise into relevance but have only been proven as fairy tales alone.

It was clear that a great darkness was coming in force, and many would have to prepare for its eventual arrival.

However, for the likes of Witch Hunters, the forces of Darkness was something they dealt with regularly. Master Ludwig Gehrman, Witch Hunter captain of the Mewni district, crossed the small countryside during the warm summer afternoon, looking across the farmland of the kingdom in indifference, not much caring for the scenery.

"I take it you never much cared for farm animals, eh, Master?" Ludwig's apprentice, a young man of about seventeen, said with a small smirk.

"As a matter of fact, Marco, I don't. They're filthy creatures. They smell, they bite, they spit. Disgusting." Ludwig said indignantly.

"Hehe, of course, Master." The young man named Marco chuckled.

Mewni was once an independent kingdom bordering the areas between the two provincial states of Talabecland and Stirland thousands of years ago. Now, the kingdom is a former shell of its past glory, its capital of Mewni is simply a border city that acts as a trade and resting area for merchants and other adventurers of the Empire, the rest of its lands annexed by diplomacy or force over the years.

Although the Empire has yet to completely annex the small kingdom within the Empire due to the population's fierce sense of independence and other more pressing matters outside of Mewni, there have been a steady amount of Empire supporters in the small kingdom that have allowed enough influence for the approval of a chapter house of Witch Hunters to aid in protecting the lands of Mewni from ferocious monsters: a problem that has plagued the land since its inception.

A few minutes of silence passed before Ludwig spoke again to his young apprentice.

"It shan't be too long before we reach the castle, Marco. I'm sure you're more than eager to see her again." He said.

"Yes, Master Gehrman, I am. It's been over a year since we last passed through the kingdom."

"Well keep those feelings of yours in check, boy, lest you fall and become corrupt like so many others before you." Ludwig warned.

"Yes, Master." Marco said compliantly.

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard the unmistakable cry of a person in danger.

"Please! For the love of Sigmar, somebody save me!" Came the cry of a man from the distance.

"Alright then, forward!" Ludwig yelled in a commanding tone, drawing his golden handled sword from its sheath and spurring his horse to charge.

"Hya!" Marco yelled, kicking his horse in its sides and causing it to charge forward toward the noise alongside his master.

They didn't need to travel far. When they came over a hill, they found the wreckage of a cart with its cargo spilled everywhere, the horses dead with deep gashes, and the terrified owner hiding beneath the flipped over cart.

To the Witch Hunters' surprise, the beast that was attacking the cart was none other than a Manticore, the horrifying lion/scorpion hybrid clawing at the sides of the cart, trying to get at the man below. The man looked to find the pair of Witch Hunters at the top of the hill, surprisingly relieved to see the dreaded inquisitorial monster slayers of the Empire.

"Oh thank Sigmar! Please, you have help me! Please!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, causing the Manticore to claw at the cart with increased vigor, frightening the man to stay silent.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there!" Marco called to the man before drawing his weapon and spurring his horse into a charge. The beast was too preoccupied to see the young Witch Hunter heading towards it, more interested in its soon to be meal of Merchant Tartare. Once close enough, Marco leaped from his horse's saddle and came rolling to a stop on his feet, drawing his weapons, his rapier and pistol.

"Hey, ugly!" He yelled to get the beast's attention, which it did, "Your mother was a house cat!"

The Manticore didn't understand the young Witch Hunter's insult, though what it did understand was that he was a possible meal standing out in the open. The beast roared and leaped over the cart, landing before breaking into a dash at Marco.

Readying his rapier, Marco stayed put as the beast came charging at him. It was mere feet away when it tried to claw at him, only to hit nothing but air. It skidded to a halt and looked around to find Marco had dodged to its right and was now staring down the barrel of a pistol.

"You missed." Marco said simply, firing the sidearm straight into the Manticore's right eye, causing it to roar in intense pain. It wasn't dead, however, only seeming to infuriate it. Marco then attempted to thrust his rapier into the beast's eye, but was stopped by its giant stinger.

It tried to sting him, but Marco managed to back away from it, gaining some distance between them. He went for another one of his pistols and aimed it quickly but had it smacked out of his hand by the hybrid beast. Before he could defend himself, the beast tackled him to the ground. Just as it was about to deliver its final blow and Marco was saying his prayers, the beast suddenly grew silent. Its head slowly began to fall until it slid right off its shoulders and onto the young Witch Hunter.

Somewhat freaked out, Marco knocked the head away and looked back at the creature to see its decapitated body fall over, with Ludwig standing behind it, looking more angry than usual.

"Think of this as a test, boy. You failed miserably," He said irritably.

"How so?" Marco asked, receiving a glare from his master, "Well I mean besides the obvious part."

"Let's list them off, shall we? You rushed into battle, you were cocky, throwing out insults and one-liners, and most important: you let your feeling guide your actions rather than logic. You wanted to help that man so bad you leaped into action without a proper plan of attack."

"Any later and he could've been ripped to shreds, master."

"Could've been, but still insignificant to the bigger picture."

"But, master, I-"

"That's enough, Marco." Ludwig ordered sternly. Marco was about to say more, but knew arguing with Gehrman was next to impossible.

"Yes, Master Gehrman."

"Do not simply say yes and expect to learn from this," Gehrman replied sharply. "I noticed the tone of your voice grows more defiant with every breath. Weakness will not be tolerated by any force of evil, remember that."

Marco simply nodded, not daring to speak another word to incite an argument.

"E-excuse me," Came the voice of the merchant, "I-I must t-thank you, mighty W-witch Hunters, for saving me from that horrible b-beast."

Gehrman gave the merchant a glare of annoyance. "You were lucky to be spared that creature's meal. No thanks are needed."

"O-of course, sir. Forgive me." The merchant apologized, bowing his head.

The merchant felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found Marco looking at him with a much calmer demeanor than his master.

"Please, forgive Master Gehrman, he's a bit of a cynic. But really, it's our job to deal with beasts, so your thanks and apologies are not needed."

"I take it you'd like a reward?" The merchant asked.

"You don't owe us anything. You were in need, we helped," Marco replied.

"And they call Witch Hunters heartless. Say they won't lift a finger to help the truly needy."

"They also say mice are born of rotting straw," Marco said with a chuckle.

The merchant nodded in agreement before turning to his wrecked cart, looking to see if he could probably salvage any supplies. After a quick once over, he turned back to the pair of Witch Hunters.

"I would offer you two and your men an escort into the city, but as you can see, my mares have become mincemeat," The Merchant said.

"That is no fault of yours, sir. Perhaps we could offer you a ride into the city? It's quite a ways away, and it'll be dark long before you reach it on foot. No one wants to be out here then," Marco said and before the Merchant could respond, Gehrman spoke up.

"No, we cannot offer him a ride. We have business of our own to attend to in the city, we can't have him slowing us down, not even a little," He said, glaring at Marco, as if he should have known better than to even offer.

Marco looked at him angrily, "We can't just leave him here like this, especially after that attack. There could be more than the one nearby and you know it. He could die."

"That isn't really our problem. If he really wants to get to town, he will, even despite this slight setback," Gehrman said simply, shrugging it off.

"Slight setback? This isn't a slight setback, Master. A few broken or stolen wares is a slight setback. A broken wheel on the cart is a slight setback. But nearly destroyed wares, dead horses, and a mostly wrecked cart is major. If we give him a lift he can at least start to rebuild his supply. If we don't, even if he makes it, and that's a big if, he may not be able to rebuild for a long time," Marco said.

"That is something he will have to deal with. The experience will be good for him, make him learn a thing or two about survival, and be a little more careful next time."

"We can't leave him here," Marco said, glaring at Gehrman, fists clenched at his sides. Ludwig chuckled.

"Alright boy, tell you what. Since you feel so strongly about it, I'll take the mounts with me to town and you can walk him there." Ludwig said, sliding back onto his mount and grabbing the reigns of Marco's.

"Wait, you'd just leave me here!?" Marco asked, surprised.

"If you're going to be so stubborn, then yes. I figure you must feel you can handle it, boy. Now are you going to stay with him or ride with me?" He asked casually, sitting on his saddle and waiting for a response.

Marco stared at Gehrman, and then looked back to the merchant. After a few takes he sighed, "I'm sorry, sir." before climbing onto his own mount.

"What!? You can't just leave me here!" The merchant called out.

As they rode away, he screamed in anger and fear, "They were right about you Witch Hunters after all! You are heartless!"

 **O-O-O**

Disclaimer: I do not own Star vs. the forces of evil or Warhammer.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note: So before I say anything else, I want to credit my coauthor MaxGentlman1 for pretty much writing a lot of the prologue for me. I edited his name to be credited in the previous Authors notes, but I'm doing it again so others who already read the first chapter know that now.

So thank you so much MaxGentlman1 for helping out, and check his stuff out when you can, he's got really cool stuff better than mine. But please read my stories, I need your views and reviews to feed my eight children. So enjoy the story once more.

 **Chapter 1: Reunion**

 **O-O-O**

Mewni, the beautiful kingdom of the Empire. Known for its valuable trade and unique architecture reminiscent of classic Bretonnian fairy tales, the city itself shows off the beauty proudly among the Empire as a beacon of beauty and wonder. Many children dream of going to such a kingdom one day, wanting to become a prince of princess of Mewni as they hear the rumors and tales of their heirs as heroes that slay monsters and gain riches beyond their dreams.

At least, that's what Star Butterfly wanted to believe in.

In reality, these were nothing but fairy tales to the public. Made to attract tourists and traders to share their riches among the kingdom with fantastic tales, but Star Butterfly, princess of Mewni and heir to the Butterfly throne, wanted to make these tales into a reality.

But for now, she had to settle with sparring practice in the castle courtyard against her usual opponent: the suit of knight armor that was alive and slashing at Star.

"Stupid throne. All I want is a little adventure." The teenage princess thought to herself, dodging her attacker's slashes as she countered with her own sword in hand. "Being royalty is such a bore alone."

Star easily disarmed the suit of armor, before stabbing the old steel suit in the chest as it fell to the ground, the pieces of armor clattering as they spread across the floor.

"Come on, Percy! You can do better than that." Star said to the armor, getting out her magic wand, gifted to her by her mother two years ago, and zapped the suit back to life again. "Now try being more aggressive."

The reformed suit complied with a quick jab at Star, who parried the sword out of the suit's hands and sliced the helmet off. The armor named Percy fell down once more, much to Star's frustration.

"That's too aggressive."

Star stared at her royal wand in her other hand, the magical artifact passed down from generation to generation in her family and admired the intricate details as she did from time to time. The first time she was gifted the wand, her mother had nagged her about the responsibilities and power it held, saying to never abuse its power and always keep it by her side. She usually followed the latter, not so much the former.

As much fun as it was to use magical powers to resurrect suits of armor to practice her sword fighting she learned from the captain of the guard, it felt empty to use magic without anyone watching her aside from a nagging queen telling her how irresponsible it was.

"Mother has no idea how to have fun." Star thought to herself, brushing a few strand of her blond hair away from her eyes as she dropped her sword by Percy's remains. "Unlike that boy… To have him around again. Been over a year since I last saw him, when he showed up and cleared out the ghoul nest in the forest. Something exciting is bound to happen with him around."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to her from across the courtyard.

"Star? Where are you?"

Star knew her mother was calling out to her again, only complying because her sparring practice was over and tired of.

"Coming! Just let me fix my dress."

Star looked down at her light blue princess dress, seeing it covered in dirt and tears from sword slashes. That's when she remembered something about a royal meeting at the throne room a few minutes from now, the realization that she couldn't just waltz in there looking like a peasant attacked by a boar.

Not that she cared much for the meeting, but she knew how her mother would react.

"On second thought, I'll be right there… in a few minutes! Maybe!"

 **O-O-O**

After quickly running back to her room and changing out of the ruined dress using her wand, Star met with her parents in the royal throne room. Her father sat to her mother's right while Star sat to her left. The Queen never did tell her who this meeting was with, all she did know was that it was most likely going to be another boring waste of her time. Soon, one of the servants came to the door and took out a scroll before clearing his throat.

"Presenting his holiness, the leader of the Mewni branch of Witch Hunters, Master Ludwig Gehrman and his apprentice, Marco Diaz."

Star perked up at this revelation of whom they were meeting with. The servant stepped away from the door as it opened to reveal the old Witch Hunter and the young apprentice. The old man scowled at the court around him while the young man kept a more neutral face, though it leaned more toward pleasant. When they reached the foot of the thrones, they knelt before the royal family.

"Master Gehrman, pleasure to see you after such a long absence. And I see you brought your apprentice along again as well." The Queen greeted kindly to the older man.

"The pleasure is all mine, your majesty." Ludwig said in an even tone.

"We have some important matters to discuss, Master Gehrman, ones that we must discuss in private." The Queen said as she, her husband, and Star got up from their thrones, "If you will both please follow us."

With that, the royal court was adjourned, with the Royal Family leaving through a side door followed closely by the pair of Witch Hunters.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice." The Queen addressed to the Witch Hunters gratefully "We appreciate your quick response."

"As I have said countless times before, thanks are never necessary." Gehrman stated sternly with a hint of annoyance.

"Of course, Master Gehrman."

Soon, the group came to a door. The queen opening it, leading into a small common room with a pair of sofas and a coffee table between them. The royal family sat on one while the pair of Witch Hunters sat on the other.

"Now then, what is the problem this time? I already know how troublesome the monster infestation is in your kingdom; for my apprentice and I just slayed a Manticore on the way here."

"Oh yes! That was one of them actually." The King spoke up. "I was just about to go out and hunt it down myself."

"Yes darling, but we have something even worse. A creature that we never thought would make its presence known here." The Queen continued. "Have you ever dealt with a… Varghulf?"

That was certainly a shock to the Witch Hunters, more evident on Marco's face rather than the contained, even stare of Gehrman. They have heard of such creatures before, rare but powerful beasts with an unnatural strength and constant thirst for blood, all thanks in their already corrupted past.

How such a powerful creature made its way to Mewni was a troubling thought to Gehrman, but beasts were beasts, and they must be slain with efficiency and purity.

"A Varghulf out this far? How long ago?"

The Queen described the terrifying situation, still keeping a calm tone compared to other rulers that would have panicked at the news of such a creature.

"The creature has been plaguing us for the past few weeks, but it's already too much to handle ourselves. It always strikes at night, attacking farms, trampling crops, and killing our livestock and farmers: every ounce of blood drained from their bodies. We've sent groups of our best men to hunt it down, but they never came back."

"Your men are not trained to handle such a monster. Why haven't you sent for us sooner?" Gehrman asked in an accusatory tone.

"We didn't know it was a Varghulf at the time." The Mewman sheepishly admitted. "No one ever saw what it was since any possible witnesses were killed."

"But the dried bodies suggested otherwise." Finished Gehrman. "Do you know where it came from?"

"Many creatures hide in our woodlands, but it always struck around the outskirts of our farmlands." The King added. "There was an attack just last night, a few hours before daylight broke. We still have guards patrolling the area in case it comes back."

"I shall investigate the scene myself, I want to see if this really is a Varghulf." Gehrman confirmed. "My apprentice shall stay behind in your city."

"Master?"

Gehrman took out a large sack from his pockets, which jingled heavily when dropped on his apprentice's open palm.

"Go to all the local taverns. Recruit as many mercenaries as you can and tell them you are a Witch Hunter after a beast. If this really is a Varghulf, we will need every man who can wield a weapon properly."

"What about you?"

"I can handle some guards on morning patrol. Can you handle talking to some low life scum?" Gehrman said with bile at the mention of hired help.

"And if they refuse?

"As long as there is money in the world, a mercenary will never turn down an offer of gold: no matter what."

Marco gave a nod in compliance. "As you wish, master."

"I'll be off then, I expect you to have a squad together by the time I'm back." Gehrman said, heading toward the door.

"I'll head out in just a little bit, Master." Marco said.

"And if you don't mind, Master Gehrman, I'd like to accompany you to the site." The King requested.

"If it were anyone else, your majesty, I would refuse. However, knowing of your skills, you may accompany me." Gehrman said as he and the King left.

"Mother?" Star spoke up. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Gehrman's apprentice in private for a moment. I'm curious of his adventures."

"Hmm, as you wish, Star. But only for a few minutes." Queen Butterfly said as she too left the room, leaving the pair alone.

Silence filled the room as the two young teens stared into each other's eyes, not out of awkwardness but with a silent joy apparent on their faces.

"Star I-

Star cut off the boy and ran towards Marco and brought him into her warm, bone crushing embrace, Marco returning the favor as he held her just as tightly in his arms on the chair he sat on.

"I missed you." Star whispered in his ear.

"Me too." Marco whispered back.

Star was unaware of Marco's soft gasps for breath and only squeezed the boy harder.

"Star? I need to- urk!" Marco strained his last words. "Breathe Star… breathe."

"Oops!" Star let go of the boy, unware of her strength earlier as she stood up. "Sorry Marco."

"Sometimes I forget how strong Mewmans are." Marco cracked his back. "Oof! At least my knot is gone."

Star stifled a giggle, before letting out laugher as Marco joined in.

"How have you been?" Marco got up and made a mock bow. "Your royal highness?"

Star couldn't help but smile. "Bored as a zombie without brains."

"I'd imagine royalty has its perks."

"Yeah, but it's no fun. Mother has me doing the most tedious tasks that I already know how to do." Star complained. "Stand like this, smile like that, keep your chin up. I didn't learn sword fighting from you for nothing."

"You still practice?" Marco asked surprised.

"Every day I can."

A small silence fell between the two. It was strange. They had been apart for so long, they had so much to talk about and yet they didn't know what to say to one another now. All they could do was gaze into each other's eyes as memories of their past adventures together flooded their minds.

Finally, Marco spoke up. "Well... I guess I best get going." He said awkwardly and started to leave but was stopped by the blonde princess.

"Wait." Star spoke softly, gripping Marco's shoulder from the back. "Can I come with you? I want to tour the kingdom with you."

"I don't know. Gehrman would not be keen on the idea." Marco replied, looking back at Star to see her dough eyed gaze.

"Pleeeeeeese?" She begged, her puppy dog eyes piercing into Marco's soul.

Giving into a princess was not the sign of a good Witch Hunter, but Marco couldn't say no to that face: not to the face of his best friend.

Marco groaned in defeat. "You know I can't say no to you."

"Yay!" Star quickly hugged her friend tightly once more. "Manipulation always works!"

"Are you a Chaos lord in disguise?" Marco jokingly asked.

"I could be. Would you slay me in combat?"

"You would probably convince me to join you."

"Is it my princess charm?" Star squished her cheeks together, making Marco chuckle.

"Hehe, it really is good to see you again."

Star smiled warmly at her best friend. "The same to you. Just let me grab my old gear from my room, I'll be quick about it."

The princess eagerly bolted from the small room, grabbing Marco's hand and pulling him with her to journey further into the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: So sorry I haven't updated this so long. Life has been pretty distracting lately and I have had other things to do that have kept me away from Fanfiction for a long time, mostly college loans, work and making my own original stories. I hope this chapter is a good taste of what's to come soon next chapter, which is when things will get really interesting.

 **Chapter 2: The Hunt Begins**

 **O-O-O**

The two teenagers ran through the halls of the castle before turning into a room. The room was large and lavish with a queen-sized bed with a drapery over it, a large desk with a mirror and brushes on it, and a large rug stretched across the floor.

"You wait right here, I'll be with you in a few minutes. I just have to change," She said, leaving a blushing Marco standing in the center of the room as she went over to her wardrobe and took out some clothing before going behind a room divider.

"Uh, should I be here for this? I mean I can wait outside the door." Marco asked awkwardly as he saw her dress get thrown over the divider.

"No, it's fine, I have the divider up," Star said as if it were no big deal that her half-naked body was covered by just a few centimeters of wood. "Besides, I know you well enough to not peep."

"Uh, okay, if you say so." Marco said biting his lip. Just as he was about to turn around, Star spoke up again.

"And don't turn around, I want you to see this cool armor I had made." She said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Marco was feeling all kinds of awkward as he stood there with Star tossing bits of clothing over the divider, until she finally spoke again.

"Done! Now check this out!" She exclaimed, moving the divider aside and showing Marco her new outfit.

The outfit was a form of light armor with a chain mail vest over a red coat with brown leather straps with a small pouch to her side with tan pants with a light brown belt around the waist. There were bits of leather padding all over the pants, mostly on the sides of the legs and on the knees.

"Ta-da~!" She sang, striking a pose.

"Whoa." Was all Marco could say while staring at the admittedly stylish piece of armor.

"Figured you'd like it." Star said with a wide grin. "It's called Wolf Armor. It's light but durable, fashionable yet functional."

"Makes me wish I had that kind of armor." Marco commented, still admiring the armor Star wore.

"Aw Marco, you still look good... a very intimidating kind of good."

The sight of a Witch Hunter was not one of pleasure or joy, rather it was the calling of despair and fear. The common folk of the Empire all feared the coming wrath of a Witch Hunter, the mere mention of their name sent mothers panicking for their children lest they do something to provoke them.

Marco never liked his common reputation, but he was fortunate to be in the presence of a good friend who knew him as a human being rather than a blind fanatic. It always made him wonder why he made the choice to join the Order. Perhaps it was because of his belief of Chaos being the true threat to the Empire, and his past and current experiences enforced this belief that being a Witch Hunter would do some good in the world. Maybe it was because he wanted to go out and see the world rather than sit around as some commoner, wanting to have some form of excitement in his life.

Whatever his reasoning was, he concluded to himself that there was one thing he was sure to be glad for: meeting the greatest person in his life.

"As you say princess. Or should I say: monster hunter?" Marco playfully mocked, bowing as Star giggled.

"You can be so silly sometimes." Star replied with a soft smile. "But I like that. It's something I don't see in too many boys."

"Royalty can be such a bore." Marco commented, hearing Star groan with agreement.

"I know right? This monster hunt is just what I needed." Star agreed, getting her favorite sword from her armoire she kept hidden behind her dresses.

"Rough day?"

"Like you said." Star took a few swipes at the air, the blade gracefully cutting through the air a good distance away from Marco as she sheathed the weapon behind a hilt on her armor's back. "Royalty is such a bore."

"Well then, shall we be on our way, m'lady?" Marco asked with a small smirk as he offered her his arm, which Star returned.

"Why yes we shall, Master Witch Hunter." She said as she linked arms with the boy and headed out the door to the room.

 **O-O-O**

As expected of a kingdom that thrived off trade, the marketplace was bustling with activity. Merchants moving through the crowded streets as vendors shouted out their wares for sale, as reluctant commoners gathered around stands to admire and purchase the merchandise. Some stands would sell the usual bread and fruit for cheap copper, others with more exquisite products such as jewelry for rich nobles that see a gem catch their eye and purse.

"Swords! Get you swords here! Can cut through a log with a single strike!"

"Armor so thick a ballista bolt can't pierce it!"

"Just look at the way this sapphire shines in this ring! Perfect for that special someone!"

"Wow! For real?" Star asked with wide eyes as she heard the exaggerated claims of the shop keeps.

"No Star." Marco firmly tugged on Star's arm.

"But it's soooooo shiny!" Star whined as she is dragged away from a disappointed shop keeper. "Why can't we get anything?"

"Because Master Ghernam gave me his purse for important matters." Marco explained. "Jewelry isn't one of them."

Star frowned as she crossed her arms. "That old coot. Are you sure he doesn't kill fun either?"

"He doesn't even know the definition of fun." Replied Marco, half serious and half complaining about his master's stoic and often dark nature.

Star giggled a bit at Marco's comment, causing him to give a smile as well.

"Come on, there's a tavern up ahead." Marco said, the duo heading toward the small, two-story building. Once they entered, rather than find some homey-looking tavern, they found a dilapidated and seedy-looking dive.

"Hmm." Marco hummed to himself, looking around the old and worn down interior. "Still the same as before."

Star scratched her head sheepishly. "Yes... Mother and father have yet to invest the tax money on the local entertainment."

"Still the perfect place to hire some sellswords." Marco commented, looking around the filthy and musty interior of the tavern, trying to find any local mercenaries around the room.

"Now that's a rude term for our people."

A red headed woman walked up to the pair from her table, wearing some sort of plate armor and a fur coat of a bear on her back, leaving her large axe by her chair. She had the look of a natural born warrior: perhaps an Empire citizen from the north Marco assumed, one from Ostland or Middenland, maybe even as far as Kislev outside the Empire.

"We prefer the more popular saying: Regiments of Renown." The woman smirked as she glanced at Marco uninterestingly, then to Star with a glint of admiration. "Nice armor."

"Aw, thank you." Star said, beaming at the compliment.

"No problem. I know good armor when I see it." The red head said with a small smile. "Come on, we'll talk at my table." She said, leading the duo over to her corner booth.

The three sat down at her table, Star and Marco sitting next to each other while the red head sits across, taking a sip from her pint of ale.

"Name's Gwendolyn. But friends and employers call me Wendy for short, never liked long names." Wendy introduced herself.

"I'm Marco, and this is my friend, Star."

"Hi." She said sheepishly.

"Pleasure." Wendy said with a smile. "So what can I do for you two?"

"We're looking for some mercenaries in order to help us deal with a monster that's been plaguing the countryside." Marco explained.

"You mean the manticore? Heard someone already killed that thing this morning." Wendy said in an uncaring tone, taking another sip from her drink.

"No, not that, something much worse." Marco said, his voice low and foreboding.

"How much worse are we talking here?" Wendy asked, now interested.

"A beast that could destroy the entire city. Just know that this," He began, pouring out half the coin purse onto the table, causing Wendy's eyes to widen. "This is only a fraction of your pay. The rest you get after the job."

Wendy took a coin from the pile, inspecting it carefully and bit the edge of it.

"You say it's something worse than a Manticore?" Wendy asked suspiciously, flipping the coin in the pile. "You should hire the Beast Flayers across the square. They've been dying to go on a monster hunt for ages here."

"Already done. I need a few more of your 'renowned regiments' to accompany me and my friend." Marco answered calmly.

"And if I refuse?"

Marco decided to use a little more forceful bargaining, taking out a paper scroll and unrolling it for Wendy to see: his Witch Hunter license with a seal of the Order of Sigmar stamped clearly on the paper.

"You don't want to refuse someone like me." Marco said darkly, an act of persuasion that usually worked with most people.

"Fucking Witch Hunter." Wendy groaned.

"Be grateful I'm the nice one. Other hunters would have whipped you on the spot for the tone."

"Wish you were nicer." Wendy looked at Star. "And you?"

"Like he said. I'm his friend." Star replied in a serious tone like Marco. "Best if you listen to him."

Wendy scoffed as she drank the rest of her pint in one gulp. "I can't tell if you're serious or putting on an act... friends with a Witch Hunter: that's fucking mad."

"I'm a lot of things. Weird, wild, but I'm not mad," Star said with a small smirk.

Wendy smirked back as she took the coins and scraped them into her own coin purse. She liked the girl, not so much the boy, but he was offering a large sum of gold.

"So where's the rest of your company?" Marco asked.

"Sparring." Wendy simply replied.

"Still need an exact location."

Wendy rolled her eyes as she grabbed her axe leaning on the table. "Mewman barracks by the front gate of the walls. The guards let us spar with them in exchange for drinks."

"I should tell my parents about that." Star muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"M'lady. Master Witch Hunter." Wendy hooked the purse of coins to her side. "You've just hired yourself the Fang Company."

 **O-O-O**

Disclaimer: I don't own the mentioned properties in this story.


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